Goodwin to sit out with Covid

UNBEATEN Melbourne has been hit by Covid-19, after three players followed premiership coach Simon Goodwin into isolation after testing positive.

The Demons confirmed on Wednesday that three players had tested positive to Covid-19, but would not reveal their identity or whether they were AFL or VFL players.

The players will be forced into isolation for the next week, under the league’s health and safety protocols. It was revealed earlier that Goodwin would miss Saturday’s clash against Hawthorn at the MCG after testing positive to Covid-19 on Wednesday morning.

Assistant coach Adem Yze will take the coaching reins against the Hawks, as the unbeaten Demons look to welcome back a pair of flag stars as the team aims to stretch its winning run to 14 games.

Goodwin is the latest AFL coach to miss a game after entering the league’s health and safety protocols. He joins Carlton’s Michael Voss, St Kilda’s Brett Ratten and Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir to have been forced into isolation.

The Demons are closely monitoring whether any other players had been affected, but at this stage everyone is clear.

Premiership pair Jake Lever and Jack Viney missed the Anzac Eve game against Richmond due to Covid, but are expected to return against the Hawks this weekend.

Yze will step up from his role as the Demons’ midfield coach to take charge in the coaches box against the Hawks. A 271game player for the Demons, Yze spent six years as an assistant coach at Hawthorn before returning to Melbourne as an assistant in 2021.

Yze said he was comfortable stepping into the role, but it would be a team effort with the rest of the coaching panel.

“It won’t be just myself, obviously everyone has got to step up now our senior coach is out of the program,” Yze said.

“We’ll have different staff members doing different roles to help fill that void, so I will just be the face of it.”